“Where to eat in Baguio?” is a question oft asked that, in hindsight, makes me want to scoff a bit. Several years ago that question would have made me pause and think hard for a while, because there aren’t too many options. At present, however, that question would still make me pause, but for an entirely different reason: it’s because there are simply too many options, you’d have to weigh them and choose a real good one. Funny, too, because at every turn, you’d find a place to eat.
Before I begin, however, here’s a late shout-out to my friend Juvy who passed the latest Bar Examinations. (‘Grats, Atty!) And thank her for letting me taste some of the cupcakes of this cafe in La Trinidad called Feed Your Brain that, incidentally, I have yet to visit. I especially liked their watermelon cupcake. At first, when I heard about it, the idea seemed ludicrous to me, but I actually liked how it tasted! I’m not really a fan of icing/frosting, but for this one, the cupcake itself was moist and tasty, and the frosting wasn’t too sweet, either.
Check out their Facebook page here, and I hope I get to find the time to check out the place for myself soon.
And for two days, I attended a regional conference at the Baguio Country Club, with a sumptuous buffet (what else would you expect?). I’d have taken photos of the food but the lighting was poor, haha! I’ll just have to make do with the desserts.
OK, let’s get to it, shall we?
Breakfast at Ling Nam
We swung by Cafe Lusso for breakfast, only to be told that they no longer serve breakfast. So we walked down a bit and passed in front of Cedar Peak, and spotted this. Usually we’d avoid it because it looks pricey, but curiosity got the best of us, and we approached. Saw the menu and prices, and decided to give it a try.
Good thing we did.
If you’ve ever tried Central Park Restaurant at Carino Street, below City Hall and across Good Taste Restaurant in Otek Street, Ling Nam Chinese Restaurant is like the swankier version.
By the way, Ling Nam is a chain of restaurants in the country featuring a fusion of Chinese and Pinoy food. That explains our choice of breakfast.
I got their Beef Tapa set, and requested the eggs the way I preferred them (scrambled). It comes with soup, and cucumber/lemonade or iced tea (you choose). We already bought coffees from Cafe Lusso, so we passed on that for this meal.
Ling Nam is located at the ground floor of Cedar Peak Baguio, at Upper Mabini Street. Check their Facebook page here.
The Biggest Brrrgrrr in Baguio
I’ve already had a taste of a huge burger (albeit half, because I split it with someone else) at one of the food trucks at Calle Uno.
But this one caught my attention the first time we went to the Ili-Likha Artist Village at Assumption Road, by Upper Session Road. And we’ve been wanting to try it since.
So when a seminar wrapped up early, my companions and I decided to walk all the way from Ating Tahanan in South Drive to Upper Session Road. Why? To walk off the snacks of sandwich and soda we just had and be hungry enough once we arrived at Brrrgrrr.
A wise decision, if I may say so myself.
Here it is, guys.
This was Mike’s treat, so let me be honest and admit that I didn’t pay much attention to how much he spent, haha!
So there were five of us, and between the 5 of us, we had one brrrgasm cheese burger, drinks, and potato wedges.
It’ll get messy if you eat this, so customers are given plastic gloves, so they can use their hands.
What do I think about it? I am pretty neutral when it comes to burgers, but I loved how the ingredients of this one were fresh. So when we had this at the office again later that week, I was one of those who insisted half is set aside for me (as I was on a meeting that time).
The new Canto
Did you hear? Ketchup Community is no more, and so are the restos within it. Good news, though, because Canto has found a new home at Kisad Road, across the City Library.
Unlike the old place, the new place has much brighter and airier atmosphere, with glass walls, white posts and roof, complete with white picket fences. Of course, it means heavier traffic in an already congested area but hey, it’s Canto.
After our Independence Day Program and Parade on June 12, we continued walking through Burnham Park and to Canto for lunch.
I honestly prefer the aesthetic of this new place, although I am wondering how they’d deal when the typhoon/monsoon days come on in the latter half of the year.
The food is still the same, and so is the queue of diners.
This visit once again reaffirmed my love for their ribs. Serious love. Especially when paired with their Cascade Salad and mashed potato.
And what did I say about dessert?
There will always, ALWAYS be room for it.
Dinner (again) at Sage
I brought my folks at Sage for Sunday night dinner, and that was the first time I saw my Dad give up halfway eating his order of pork ribs. He liked it, but the serving was too generous.
Or maybe it was because we had nachos as (heavy) appetizer. Yep, that could be it.
The two rib slices were really thick, so I can totally understand why it filled them up real quick. I liked how it tasted, although my first love would still be, thus far, Canto’s.
My Ma-dear is not as adventurous, so she stuck to the Chicken with lemon butter sauce.
Meanwhile, no surprise here, but I didn’t feel like trying anything new that time, so I got my Sage favorite pasta, the Basil Shrimp Pasta.
And I’m kinda irked that I suddenly developed a food allergy when it comes to shrimp, crabs, and their derivatives. That explains my stash of antihistamines, because I don’t want that darn food allergy to get in the way of me enjoying good food.
It’s now the middle of July, and it’s been a busy month, what with the budgeting period coming in, so my July foodventures are still quite few and far between. But hey, I still have two weeks left for July, don’t I?
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